Pimms Layer Cake Recipes

PIMM'S LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Equipment: Mixer, 2 x 20cm round sandwich cake tins, greased and lined. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Using a mixer, whisk together the butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and whisk again. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, chopped ginger and ginger ale, using a spatula. Spoon the cake mixture into the two cake tins and bake for 45 minutes -1 hour, until the cakes are firmto touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, with no cake batter on it. When you have removed the cakes from the oven, make small holes over the top of each one using a skewer and drizzle over the Pimm's so that it soaks into the holes. Leave to cool in the tins. For the icing, whisk together the icing sugar, butter and enough milk to make a smooth, stiff frosting. Divide the mixture between 4 bowls, one for each of the flavoured icings. Add the finely chopped cucumber skin and the cucumber purée to the first bowl, with a few drops of green food colouring. Add a splash of Pimm's and mix well. Add the strawberry essence and a few drops of pink food colouring to the second bowl. Add a splash of Pimm's and mix well. Add the mint, mint essence and a few drops of green food colouring to the third bowl. Add a splash of Pimm's and mix well. Finally, add the orange zest and rind, orange essence and a few drops of orange food colouring to the fourth bowl. Add a splash of Pimm's and mix well. After the cakes have cooled and are soaked in Pimm's, cut each one in half to make 4 cake layers. Using a knife, spread a thick layer of buttercream between the layers so that each layer has a different flavour: cucumber, strawberry, mint. Spread the orange icing over the top and round the sides of the cake and decorate with strawberries, cucumber, mint leaves and orange slices. Serve straight away, with a glass oPimm's on the side.

PIMM'S CAKE

Steps:

• Put the sliced and halved strawberries for the filling and decoration into a small bowl and pour over the Pimm's. Leave to soak in for at least one hour or overnight. Heat oven to 190C /170C fan/gas 5. Line 3 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment and grease with butter.
• Cut the whole cucumber in half lengthways and using a teaspoon scrape out and discard the seeds. Roughly chop the rest of the cucumber and puree in a blender with the lemon juice.
• In a large bowl and using electric beaters whisk up the softened butter with the sugar until pale and light. Continue whisking as you add the eggs, one at a time, whisking in between additions. Once all the eggs have been added pour in the cucumber purée, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Don't worry if the mixture splits - it will come back together when you add the flour.
• Fold in the flour and baking powder and whisk once again briefly until there are no lumps of flour remaining then divide the mixture between the three tins. Bake in the oven for 30-35mins or until a skewer pushed into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Take the cakes out of the oven and leave to cool in their tins for five minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• While the cakes are cooking and cooling make the buttercreams. To make the strawberry buttercream, mash the strawberries in a small bowl with a fork until mushy. In a larger bowl whisk up the butter and half the icing sugar until smooth, then whisk in the mashed strawberries followed by the remaining icing sugar. Whisk until smooth and pale pink and place in the fridge until needed. Repeat the process with the lemon buttercream.
• Once the cakes are completely cold, put one of the cakes onto a cake turntable and add about one third of the lemon buttercream, spread over the surface evenly then top with half of the soaked strawberry slices. Next, spread one third of the strawberry buttercream onto another of the cakes and top with the remaining strawberry slices. Carefully stack the two filled layers with the final cake on top.
• Transfer the remaining buttercreams to disposable piping bags and snip off the ends. Pipe the strawberry buttercream in rings around the outside of the cake, starting at the base. Once you reach three quarters of the way up, switch to the lemon buttercream and continue piping onto the top of the cake. Smooth over the top using a palette knife then smooth the sides with either a large palette knife or, better still a pastry scraper. Use long sweeping movements and gently turn the cake turntable so that you get a smooth finish but a subtle gradient effect where the two colours meet. Scrape any excess icing into a bowl.
• To finish, top with the remaining soaked strawberry halves and the slices of cucumber.

PIMM'S LAYER CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 and line 3x20cm round cake tins with greaseproof paper or spray with cake release spray.
• In a large mixing bowl whisk with an electric hand whisk all the cake ingredients together using an all in on method.
• Once completely combined, spoon the mixture into the 3 tins making sure you get an even amount in each tin. Bake the cakes for 15-20 mins until golden and springy to touch.
• Leave to cool for about 5 mins and then pop out onto a wire rack to cool further.
• Meanwhile, make the buttercream by whisking all the ingredients together with an electric hand whisk.
• Assemble your cake on a cake board or plate that you'd like to display it on. Put a bit of the buttercream on the board or plate before stacking your cakes to keep the base in place. Pop your base cake onto the board or plate and cover in the light layer of buttercream.
• Stack the second layer and cover this layer with buttercream too. Pop the top layer of cake onto the stack and cover in buttercream making sure it's as smooth as possible. You can use a palette knife or spatula for this.
• Leave to set a little and prepare your fresh fruit - dab with kitchen roll to take off any excess moisture. Sprinkle your chopped fruit in the centre of the cake. Garnish with mint and serve.